The Serpent Prophecy
by Weasley Pride
Summary: FINISHED!!! Something new and dangerous is at Hogwarts. Will a hidden prophecy bring two together and one apart?
1. Default Chapter

"If anybody says anything I will smack them." Hermione was standing before the Hogwarts train, adorned in a frilly blue dress, covered in lace that went down to her ankles. Ron and Harry tried not to laugh, but their sniggering, turned into a coughing fit, that turned into loud bursts of hysterical laughter. They each received a hard blow to the head, silencing them.

"Why are you wearing that again, Hermione? I mean, it would look good on McGonagall back when she was a teenager, but on you…" Ron trailed off biting his lip to keep from laughing again.

"I told you. My Mum made me wear it because, and I quote, 'It's your last year at Hogwarts, honey. It's almost like the first day of the rest of your life.' She imitated in an annoyingly squeaky voice.

"Forget it. Let's just get a move on." Harry said, and they boarded the train. They found a compartment at the end of the train, but before Harry or Ron could enter, Hermione shut the door in their faces. Harry and Ron stood there and looked between themselves at the door and back again. They discussed possible reasons for her behavior, until she opened the door.

"I was changing. Did you actually think I was going to begin the final year of my schooling, while looking like I had come out of some badly made 50's movie?" Hermione said, matter of factly, now wearing blue jeans and a red tank top. They sat down on the comfy seats and Hermione was just getting a book out, when the compartment door slid open. Ginny Weasley ran in, her red curls bouncing behind her.

"I just came to warn you guys," she started glancing over at Harry, "there are Dementors again." They all stared at her in shock. She continued, "There's supposedly a new, more dangerous threat then Sirius Black around." Harry, looking relieved, glanced at Ron and Hermione. He was glad that Sirius was safe for the time being, but then he remembered that there was something that the Ministry of Magic thought was more serious than Sirius, who had supposedly killed 13 people with one curse(A/N: I don't remember how many people it was..so it may not be 13.). Nobody said anything, so Ginny figured she may as well go. Moments after Ginny left, the door opened again. Even though Ginny sometimes bugged Ron, she was much better than what was standing at the door, with his nose turned up, now. Draco Malfoy eyed each passenger carefully, his eyes finally resting on Hermione.

"Well, hello there mudblood." Draco sneered.

"Don't you ever get tired of nicknames Draco," Hermione said in a sweet voice, "or do you absolutely LOVE it when Miss Pansy Pug-face calls you "Draky"? Hermione had played the cards perfectly and the victory was now hers to savor. His eyes narrowed and Crabbe and Goyle started forward, but Draco held out his arms to stop them. He ushered them out the door and with a final glance at the trio, slammed the compartment door shut. Things were back to normal in the compartment. Harry and Ron played exploding snap and Hermione was reading Romeo and Juliet. _"But soft! What light through yonder window breaks? It is the East, and Juliet is the sun! Arise, fair sun, and kill the envious moon, Who is already sick and pale with grief."  Hermione sighed, wishing that all guys could be like that. Then she snorted into her book thinking about Ron and Harry running around in tights. They looked up at her with puzzled glances, then returned to their game. The train finally slowed to a stop and they ascended down the steps from the train. It was dark outside and the moon was high in the sky. Harry heard a howl and smiled to himself. He felt safer knowing that Professor Lupin was out there. Professor Lupin was their old Defense Against the Dark Arts professor that was also a werewolf. They went to wait for the carriages, and Hermione and Ron grabbed Harry's arms, because guarding the passage up to the castle were two Dementors. Harry was quite embarrassed at this, but was grateful all the same as he felt the icy cold rush through him, searching him for happy thoughts to feed on. For that was what Dementors did. They fed on your happy memories until only the bad ones were left. As they got into a carriage, the feeling lessened and Harry wrenched his arms from Ron and Hermione's grasp. They entered Hogwarts to find themselves in the grand Entrance Hall, then they moved on to the Great Hall. There was the sorting, then the feast. All through the feast, neither Ron nor Harry said a word. A girl that was sorted into Gryffindor was part Veela._

**A/N: Well there's my first chapter. I hope you liked it.  By the way, I just changed the Romeo/Juliet quote. I got it off a site, so obviously they got it wrong, also.**


	2. The Truth Potion

Each house slowly made their back to their dormitories. All the Gryffindors made their way up the staircases, while Hermione went in the opposite direction. Ron grabbed her arm. "Where are you going?" he asked. 

"I'm Head Girl, remember. Justin Finch-Fletchey's the other Head Boy. We have our own dormitories. Ron reluctantly let go of her arm and Hermione went on her way. (A/N: This isn't gonna be Ron/Hermione, don't worry.) Justin and Hermione entered their dormitories through a portrait of a serpent. Inside there were two comfy red couches, some chairs and tables, and a fireplace. There were two other paintings in the room. One was of Godric Gryffindor and the other, Helga Hufflepuff. Hermione went into her room and was pulled into a deep sleep as soon as her head hit the pillow.

The next day, Hermione woke up to the sunlight streaming through her window, but the reason she woke up was because there was some loud, very bad singing coming from outside her room. She walked out, still in her nightgown, and saw steam coming from under the bathroom door. "Justin's singing in the shower. How cute." Hermione thought to herself. She went into the bathroom (A/N: You can't see into the shower) and turned the cold water knob on the sink. A high pitched yelp came from the shower. "At least the singing stopped." She thought.

Hermione's first class of the day was…"Potions," she mumbled to herself, unable to keep the tone of disgust out of her voice. She wrapped her robes tighter around her as the cold air from the dungeons started to surround her. She was about to enter, when an arm braced itself across the door frame. A lean, muscular body positioned itself in front of Hermione, blocking the entrance to the classrooms. Draco pushed his body up against hers, causing her to cling to his robes for support.

"You'll do well to remember that I can do anything I want around these dungeons. They're my home away from home." Draco sneered. He backed off of her and circled around her.

"I'm not scared of you, Malfoy." Hermione mumbled, through clenched teeth. She realized that she sounded like she was reassuring herself of that.

"For the cleverest witch in Hogwarts," he leaned down, his lips grazing her ear with every word spoken, "you really are a fool." She swallowed as his lips opened and closed on her ear and his warm breath played along it. She felt a blush rising on her cheeks, when it all suddenly stopped. Ron and Harry had Draco up against the wall.

"Ron let's just go." Hermione sighed. Draco smirked at the two boys. Ron may have been taller than him, but Draco had more muscle from years of Quidditch. The only one that could've given him a good fight was Potter. Draco brushed off his robes as if he'd just been touched by something filthy. Nothing could have prepared them for Potions that day.

"Today, class, we will be making a higher grade of veratiserum. Not only will it make the drinker tell the truth, but it will also expose future truths that they would've kept lies." Snape said. He glanced around at the class that looked frightened at the thought of some of their secrets being revealed. The class worked on their potions, each of them trying to mess up so that they wouldn't have to reveal anything they didn't want others to know. With Snape circling each pair, messing up was almost impossible. He knew what they were trying to do. Unfotunately for Hermione, she was stuck with Malfoy. After the class had finished their potions. They had to test it on one another. Hermione tested Draco first. 

"What's your first name?" she asked.

"Draco." He answered.

Do you actually like Snape?"

"No." Hermione laughed to herself. She considered recording the conversation.

"Would you like to see him in a thong?"

"Yes, in the best sense. It'd make a hilarious picture." She had to agree with that. They only got to ask three questions each, and now it was Draco's turn. He didn't even want to know what information he'd given to Hermione, so he just hurried along. He started with normal questions.

"Do you have any pets?" He asked her.

"Yes, a cat." She answered.

"What's your favorite food?"

"Fried chicken." Hermione answered.

Then, Draco got mischievious.

"Now, last question," he started, "Do you like it when I do this?"

He wrapped his arm around her waist and leaned forward. He wasn't going to let her off that easy. His lips were inches from hers…then…he stopped. What was he doing? Was he insane? She's a mudblood. It's ok to tease, but to actually touch the lips of something so filthy. For a moment, he had forgotten Hermione was there. He remembered when he heard a soft "yes" from in front of him.


	3. The Amulet

"Professor Snape, I have to go." Draco stammered. He had to get out of the classroom before the potion wore off. He had to forget this day. He lusted to, wanted to, NEEDED to forget this day. The day he almost kissed a mudblood. The day everything started to fall apart. The day that he would die if he ever remembered his feelings for her. He made a vow long ago to his father. That he would never associate with a mudblood. The only words he would ever speak to one were words of hate. If he broke that vow, he'd be killed. He prayed that Pansy hadn't seen. She'd get jealous and tell his father. Even if it meant she would never see Draco alive again, she'd be content that he wouldn't be in that mudblood's arms. 

Draco picked up his pace to his dormitory. He burst into the common room and ran into his room. He grabbed his spare wand, the wand used only for powerful spells, and muttered "Obliviate." Instantly, it felt like he was moving backwards. The world spun around him faster and faster, until the experience was so dizzying, that he felt like he was going to vomit. Then it went pitch black. Draco opened his eyes moments later. He was on the floor clutching the green and silver throw rug. _ "What happened," he though to himself, __"I was just eating breakfast..how'd I get in here?" He tried to open his door, but he couldn't. He heard whispering outside, then the booming voices of Crabbe and Goyle. He pressed his ear up against the door._

"We should give him some privacy." Crabbe suggested, in an odd motherly way.

"I agree." Goyle said, although Draco guessed he had no idea what he just agreed to. Then he heard Pansy's pathetic whine.

"But he NEEDS me. He's clearly feeling unloved."

 Draco had to hold back a snort of laughter. Pansy was annoying, but sometimes she just downright made him laugh. Then, what startled him was that he had no idea why he would even look "unloved." What had happened to him? Draco knocked on his own door and he immediately felt it go back to its original state. It had been bending backwards. Obviously, one of his croonies had been leaning on it. Draco turned the door knob and went outside. What he saw confused him to no end. The whole of Slytherin House was standing in front of his door, looking worried.

"Ok," he started, "Who died?" Draco asked.

"You ran out of Potions for no reason. You just left. Don't you remember?" Pansy asked.

"No. I think I need to get some fresh air." He said. He parted a path through the crowd and escaped through the portrait. Draco walked outside into the pleasant  atmosphere and cringed in pain, as he tried to remember what happened. It hurt to try to think back, as if there were a curtain over his memory. The giant squid's tentacles rose up and down in a rhythmic dance and Draco found himself hypnotized. His state of calm broke after something hit him square on the forehead. He picked up whatever it was. He wove the silver chain around his fingers and looked at the heavy object attached. Hung on the thread of silver was a circular, emerald amulet. He slid his finger down the smooth surface of the stone. "It can't hurt," he decided, "It'll just add to my smoldering good looks." Draco mused, an arrogant smirk plastered onto his face. 

No matter what he did, that smirk was always there. Whether visible or not, there would be that smirk that clearly stated that he was considered better than others. Even when the world abandoned him, he realized he'd always have his pride. For the first time in his life, the thought brought him no comfort. He brought the amulet over his head, so that it hung around his neck, and hid it in his robes. He walked back up to the castle, again confused, but this time by his own thoughts.

**~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~**

Hermione finally snapped out of the potion's grasp. She looked around. All of her classmates were whispering, excitedly. It looked as if something unusual had just happened. She was about to ask Draco what had happened, when she realized he wasn't there. Hermione had never seen Snape look so shocked. Something was up. She walked over to Ron, who was talking animatedly with Harry. "What's going on you guys?" She inquired.

"Oh right, you were still under the potion," Ron said, "Draco just said he had to go and flew out of the room, looking as if he'd just seen a Grim." Hermione mulled over this, her lips parted slightly, in deep thought. 

Hermione went back to her seat and continued to think about the situation. Finally, Snape dismissed the class and the Slytherins hurried off to find Draco, while the Gryffindors hurried of just to hurry away from Snape, who was looking rather peeved that his class had been disrupted. Hermione followed Harry and Ron up to Gryffindor Tower. They paid no attention to Draco's disappearance, blaming it on constipation, or something equally ridiculous. Climbing up another staircase, she looked out the window. She saw a head of silver-blond hair and a swirling green and silver robe. She turned around and forced herself through the flow of traffic going the opposite direction. She didn't know why she was so worried about Draco, but she at least had to figure out the details of what happened in Potions.

She met him just as she was coming down the last set of stairs. "Malfoy!" she called out. He stopped and turned around. An emotion that he'd never think he'd feel out of his father's presence overcame him. Fear. Why was he scared of the mudblood? He recognized another emotion weaving its way through his nerves. Anxiousness. Like there was something frightening, but exciting before him, but when he came back to reality he still saw Granger. "What happened in Potions?" She persisted.

"I don't know." Draco replied. And it was the truth.

"You're lying. I know it." She growled back.

"I am not! I swear I have no clue what happened! The last thing I remember is breakfast!" He yelled at her, his anger taking over.

Hermione was quite angered, but kept calm, as she realized that Draco really, truly, didn't know. She could tell by the look of frustration molded onto his face.

"Well then Mr. Malfoy," she continued, "It seems that we have a mystery on our hands." Hermione grabbed his hand, causing an unmistakable surge of electricity to pulse through him. _"Now, that's not the only thing I have on my hand." He though to himself. And another frightening thought occurred to him. The feeling when she took his hand...._

He liked it.


	4. Pain

They rushed to the library, hand in hand, receiving many disbelieving stares. Hermione let go of Draco's hand, pushed open the library door, and ran in. Madame Pince stood up to scold them, but they sprinted by so fast that she was left standing there with her mouth hanging open. Hermione found a table at the very back of the room and they sat down.

"Malfoy," Hermione started, "Can you try to remember what happened?" Draco tried to think and immediately brought his hands up to his head with a cry as the pain took over again. "A Memory Charm is my guess." Hermione declared, whilst scanning the open book in front of her.

"Why thank you Dr. Granger! Now that we know the diagnosis, could you possibly find any way to reverse it?" Draco said sarcastically. Oddly enough, Draco got a strange feeling in his stomach telling him that he was going to regret what he had just asked for. He ignored it and waited for Hermione's reply.

"I can try," she answered, "but it could be risky. It says that saying the incantation with to much force could bring back memories from back when you were even a baby and in serious cases could result in…erm…" Hermione tapered off.

"In…erm…what?" Draco asked getting impatient.

"Death."

"Oh. I didn't want to know that."

"Hence, my "erm," She stated matter of factly, "Do you still want to do this or not?"

"I'm ready." Draco replied, taking a deep breath. 

"Just keep thinking _I think I can, I think I can." Hermione giggled. Draco just stared at her with a quizzical look. "Nevermind. It's a muggle children's book." Hermione read over the book another time and her shoulders dropped. It said that the person having the memory restored would go through immense pain for a moment. Whether she hated him or not, she didn't want that for him, but she had to know what happened. She said the spell without warning._

            "Reversum Yromem Incantatum." Hermione immediately wrapped Draco in her arms as the screams started. She put one hand over his mouth to muffle the sound and she tightened her grip around him and he started to thrash around. She did the unthinkable and kissed his temple as his muscles tensed in pain and torment. After a second, that seemed to take a lifetime, Draco finally stopped his screams and relaxed a little, while enveloped in Hermione's arms.

"What the heck was that?!" He yelled.

            "Draco, please," Hermione began but he cut her off.

             "You didn't tell me it would hurt!! Didn't it matter to you that I would be going through extreme pain?!" He screeched.

              Hermione became frustrated and yelled, "I knew that you would back out and we have to find out what happened! And did you not realize that I held you in my arms the whole time?!" 

            "And do you know what **I remembered?! That I tried to kiss you during Potions! There! Now you know what happened! Now stay out of my life!" Draco screamed. Hermione was too shocked to say anything. She just watched his retreating back in a stupor. **

             "He tried to kiss me…." She mumbled, trailing off.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A/N: I think I should leave it there..or maybe I shouldn't…hhmm…I think…..I'll keep going:

                 Draco marched down the hallways glaring at anyone who dared to look him in the eye. How could she do this to him? Why did he push it? Why did he have to insist on remembering? He'd be much better off never knowing. _'But you want her.' His conscience reminded him. "There is nothing I want from her." Draco told his conscience. __'She could give you what your family never even wanted to give you.' His conscience replied. "I DO NOT WANT HER!!" He yelled in rage. Immediately, the cheery laughter in the hall was replaced with a deafening silence. "WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING AT?!" He screamed. Slowly, the hall went back to normal, not wanting to experience the wrath of Draco. He stomped into the Slytherin Common room, ignoring the stares of his fellow Slytherins, and went into his room. No one else was inside. He flopped down on his bed….and cried. He was crying. Draco Malfoy, Hogwarts future Death-Eater and hater of muggle-borns, was crying. He tried to hold the tears back, but they came anyway. He was an idiot. He had done exactly what his father had warned about. He had left the door to his soul open. He had let himself get hurt, crushed. He had been weak. __'Never again.' He thought to himself. Draco sat up and felt something cold on his neck. He pulled on the gold chain around his neck and the amulet he had forgotten slipped out of his shirt._

            Meanwhile, Hermione had walked back to the Gryffindor Common Room, fighting back tears. It was amazing how alike Draco and Hermione were, but what was even more amazing was that neither of them noticed. She staggered into the common room ,trying to see through the tears welled up in her eyes. She stumbled over her robes and fell to the ground. "AARRGHH!!" she yelled in frustration. This day was anything, but good.

"Hermione! What's wrong?" She heard a voice call. She then heard footsteps coming down the stairs from the boy's dormitories. A very worried looking Ron bounded across the room towards her. He pulled her head against his chest and cradled her in his arms. "What happened?"" He asked, concerned.

"Malfoy…he.." She trailed off, leaving much to the imagination.

"Sssshhh.." Ron whispered and brought a finger to her lips. He bent his head down and kissed her. He tenderly touched her face with his fingertips. "Will you be…my girlfriend..Hermione?" He stammered. Hermione's vision seemed to blur and she lost herself in her thoughts. _'There's nothing between you and Draco he proved that today.' Her brain said. __'There is something. You can feel it.' Her heart interjected. Hermione loved books. She wanted to fill her brain with every book imaginable. She had never paid much attention to her heart, so why should she start now? There was no need to waste perfectly good brain space on thoughts of Malfoy. _

"Of course, Ron." And their lips met once again. They broke apart, when they heard a voice interrupt.

"Hermione, I need to talk to you," Ginny said from across the room. Hermione told Ron she'd be back in a few minutes, and walked over to where Ginny was standing. "Come with me," Ginny said. She led Hermione up to her room, sat on her bed, and closed the curtains. "Malfoy." Ginny stated.

"What?" Hermione questioned, confused.

"Why are you going out with my brother? I see the way Malfoy looks at you and the way you look at him." Ginny replied.

"There is nothing going on between us," she said, repeating her brain's comment. Ginny knew better and kept pressuring her.

"Spill, Hermione. What'd he do? I saw the whole common room scene, including when you ran in crying." Ginny said. Hermione had already had enough.

"He broke my heart! Okay?! He ripped it right down the middle! I don't even know how he did it! I was just so disappointed in him. He yelled at me after I was trying to help him. I'm afraid that he's not the man I thought he was. That's what's hurting me. I thought that he was so much more than what everyone else thinks he is!" Hermione finally stopped to catch a breath.

"How do you know that he's worth more than what most people think?" Ginny inquired.

"It will sound stupid." Hermione said, looking ashamed all of a sudden.

"You're Hermione," Ginny said, "Nothing you say can be stupid."

"His eyes," Hermione started, "They're windows into his soul. Yes, I know that most of the girls in Hogwarts look into his eyes and say "How beautiful!", but I see more than beautiful, grey eyes. I see all the hate he has suffered through. I see every insult, every bruise, every time he has ever wanted to be loved. I see his fear, his anger, and his grief. And when I look into his eyes all I want to do is make all the pain go away. It terrifies me when I think about how much he's missing. Never having felt love, never having been sung to sleep, or held by anyone. But what really scares me is that I want to give all of that to him myself. I want to make him feel that. But he'll never know that, and I never want him to. No matter how great a guy he is, I don't think he'll be able to accept the fact that I feel this way about him. Ginny, please don't mention this to anyone. He can never find out." Hermione said. Ginny started to say something, but Hermione interrupted again, her anger replacing her sadness.

"But what right does he have to judge me?! He thinks I'm a bookworm that never does anything but study. He probably thinks that the only thing I will ever love is a book! I want him to see who I am! I would give anything for him to be able to see into my soul! And see all of my pain and all of my feelings! I would give anything for him to even accept me as an equal! I want him to know the real me! The person I am around my friends, the person I am when I'm with my family, the person I am when I'm alone, and most of all, THE PERSON I WANT TO BE FOR HIM!" Hemione threw her arms I the air, in a sign of surrender and Ginny hugger her hurting friend.

"I'll always be there for you Hermione. What're you going to do about Ron? You obviously have stronger feelings for Malfoy. You have to tell him the truth." Ginny said. Hermione nodded her head solemnly. She didn't want to hurt Ron, but she had to do it. He was her friend, and she knew it wouldn't be right to date him, but not have any feelings for him. She trudged down the stairs and walked into the common room. She walked over to Ron. He opened his mouth to say something, but she cut him off.

"Ron..I'm sorry. I can't be with you. It wouldn't be fair. You shouldn't give me your heart if I don't give you mine. And mine is already taken. _"More like stolen." She thought to herself. Ron just stared at her, with a mixture of hurt and shock on his face. He looked down at the floor, then back up at her, and left the room. Hermione fell to her knees in defeat and sobbed. She regained her composure, and started to walk out of the portrait hole. She had to see Draco. She said the password and right before stepping out of the common room, Ginny yelled at her retreating back, "Oh yeah! By the way, Hermione…"_

"What is it?" Hermione asked, still standing with one foot in the suspended in midair. Ginny paused, looking nervous.

"Well?" Hermione said. Her leg was starting to fall asleep.

"You're in love." Ginny replied. And with that Hermione toppled over.


	5. Detentions

**A/N: Sorry I haven't updated in awhile. Writer's block..I'm not sure when I'll update next. I have a big mid-term paper due soon, even though it's only October and the semester doesn't end until December..but that's the crazy world for you. I'll try to update as soon as possible.**

The next morning, Draco was wide awake at 4:00AM thinking, while fingering the amulet. _'I will never be nice to Hermione again. Who I am kidding? I CAN'T ever be nice to her again. Then my feelings for her will return.' He tossed and turned for another hour before falling into an uneasy sleep. _

            Draco was having a nightmare about Hermione hitting him on the head with a book, but then he woke up and realized it was Goyle hitting him over the head with a pillow. "Draco, man, wake up. I've been trying to wake you up for a half an hour." He grunted. Draco pushed a few stray blonde hairs out of his eyes and stumbled past Goyle to the bathroom. He emerged from the bathroom, ready to go to breakfast, twenty minutes later.

            "What took you so long?" Crabbe, who was at the front of the line for the bathroom, asked. 

            "The mirror wouldn't stop flirting with me." He said. Then, he left his annoyed roommates with his trademark smirk. He entered the Great Hall and involuntarily looked over at the Gryffindor table, where Hermione sat, watching him too. He remembered his conversation with himself last night and sneered at her. He mouthed "mudblood" at her, then sat down.

            Hermione hadn't been able to talk to him last night because it took her awhile to get over the shock of what Ginny told her on her way out. She sighed and went back to eating her breakfast, where she avoided eye contact with Ron, who was still hurt that she broken up with him after they went out for an hour. She didn't blame him. She had used him to get over Draco.

            After breakfast, Hermione headed to her first class, Transfiguration, that was unfortunately, with the Slytherins. She started to go inside, but Malfoy cut in front of her, knocking her over. He just looked at her, smirked, and went inside. She was suddenly hit with a severe case of déjà vu from their encounter on the first day of classes. She pushed the thoughts out of her mind and entered the classroom.

            "Today class," Professor McGonagall began, "You will be transfiguring an item of yours into your house mascot. Then, I will pair you up, if done right,  the two mascots will duel. Hermione took out her copy of Romeo and Juliet and easily transformed the book into a Gryffindor Lion. Only one other person had managed to transfigure theirs and it was.."Malfoy" Hermione muttered. He had a Slytherin Serpent slithering across his desk. Being the first two done, Professor McGonagall paired them together. Hermione picked up her miniature lion and walked over to Draco's desk. She sat down in a chair next to him and placed her lion on the table. The lion and the serpent circled each other before they started moving forwards. By now, the whole class was watching with interest to see who would win. They got within fighting range, and everyone held their breath, expecting the fight to begin, but the snake just started circling through the lion's legs. Then, the two animals moved to the edge of the table and disappeared with a pop.

            "That was odd…" Hermione said. 

            "Yep," Draco agreed. Then, he realized he had talked to her and turned away, scowling.

"Well," Professor McGonagall started, "Something must have gone wrong with the incantation." Hermione's mouth dropped open.

"No. I think there was something wrong with MALFOY'S incantation." Hermione said loud enough for the class to hear.

"I think that GRANGER can't stand to ever do anything wrong every once and awhile." Draco retorted. Both students gave each other menacing glares.

"Children, please," Professor McGonagall said.

"Granger is a little mudblood. Even she knows it deep down. Don't you, Granger?" Draco mocked.

"Well, Malfoy can't stand the fact that maybe for once in his life someone actually cares about him!" Hermione yelled.

"Children! Sit down! And you both have detentions tonight at 8:00 with Professor Snape." Professor McGonagall declared. Draco and Hermione stared at her in shock and reluctantly obeyed.

At 7:45, Hermione left for her detention. When she arrived, Draco was lounging in a chair with his feet up on the desk. _'Why does he have to sit like that?' she thought to herself, as her heart pounded in her ears. They both stayed silent for awhile. Hermione walked around the room and Draco watched with interest out of the corner of his eye._

"Snape's not coming," Draco said after a moment, "He told us to start cleaning and he'd be back to check on us in an hour. I guess we'd better get started." He said, standing up with a deep sigh. They scrubbed cauldron bottoms for twenty minutes and then moved on to cleaning the remains of potions off the floor. More than once, Hermione could've sworn she'd heard Draco mutter, "Servant's work." Right as they were taking a break, Snape came in. 

"5 points from Gryffindor and another detention, Miss Granger, for not working." Snape sneered.

"But what about Draco?" She protested. At this Draco stood up.

"Really, Professor Snape, we were both taking a break. I want a detention too." Draco declared. Snape looked shocked at this show of courtesy, but he gave them both midnight detentions with Filch the next night in the Trophy Room. 

Hermione went to the Trophy Room the next night and, once again, Draco was there first, leaning up against the wall. Filch came in, told them their assignments, and then left. Hermione was taking down a rather heavy trophy, when it slipped from her hands. Draco and Hermione both dived for it at the same time, Hermione landing on her back, and Draco on top of her. Draco caught the trophy right before it landed on Hermione's head. He placed it down bedside them and propped himself up on his elbows over her.

"What're you doing, Malfoy? Let me up!" Hermione yelled, but he just placed more of his weight on her. "Let me go!" She screamed. He clamped his hand over her mouth.  
            

"I'll let you up, but only if you _want me to. Not what's right. Not what should happen. But what you __want." He said. She didn't say anything. It seemed like hours passed, until her body relaxed under him. He lowered his mouth onto hers. __"Who cares what my father thinks? I'll just have to protect her. There's nothing I can do to keep myself from her." He thought to himself as she returned his kiss. He trailed the kisses across her jaw, and down her neck. She closed her eyes as his warm breath tickled her neck. Suddenly, he stopped and got off her. "I'm not going to any farther. I may be a teenage boy, but I have my morals." He explained._

"Good. Because so do I." Hermione agreed. "So…are we..a couple?" Hermione asked. 

"Yes, but no one can know. My father," Draco paused, knowing that the truth would scare her. "Well, my father doesn't approve, so it can never get back to him." He answered. They finished their detention and headed back to their dormitories.

"Have fun with Filch?" Justin asked her. (A/N: Remember he's Head Boy and shares a dormitory with her.)

Hermione grinned. "It was a night I'll never forget." Then, she headed off to bed leaving a very puzzled Justin behind her.

The next morning, she woke up to an owl tapping on her window. She opened the window up and a great screech owl flew in. She gave it a treat and took the letter from its leg. Sitting down on the bed, she tore open the letter. A necklace fell out along with a note.

            _Dear Hermione,  
Now that we're going out and on a first name basis, I need to know if you can figure out what this amulet is. I've never seen anything like it before. It might have to do with the Dementors being here. Meet me in the library this Saturday._

_                                                                                   Love,  
                                                                                      Draco_

Hermione put the letter back in the envelope and looked outside of her window at the cloaked terrors surrounding the Forbidden Forest and the entrance to Hogwarts. She shivered and picked up the amulet. She examined the smooth, emerald, surface and the tiny silver serpent in the background. She traced her finger along the emerald and immediately words started to appear over the serpent. She dropped the amulet in surprise, but quickly picked it back up before the words faded. 

_Un'arte dimenticata porterà l'amore per due e con il sacrificio __del__ nemico la malvagità il suo reign sarà attraverso. The amulet read._

"What language is that? I know I've seen it before. The library can't wait until Saturday. I have to get Draco now." Hermione said, and she walked out of her room. Unbeknownst to her, someone was listening to her every word.

**Another A/N: Rebecca, vix, poopookachoo, Danialla Rahl, Elven Dancer/Draco Fluff, DiOsA4u, Katie Crickett, MellonKidd, sakura angel90**

THANKS FOR THE REVIEWS!! Ya'll are great!!


	6. Kidnapping

**A/N: Hello! Thank you so much for being patient. I'll try to get the next Ch. Up soon and make this one slightly longer.**

Draco was lounging in the Slytherin common room, when he heard shouts coming from outside the portrait. He recognized the voices as Hermione's and Crabbe's.

"Let me in! I have to see Draco!" Hermione yelled.

"Slytherins never let mudbloods into their common room. We want to keep our floors clean." He argued.

"Let me inside you stupid future death-eater! Why are you even going to become a death-eater?! Eventually, Voldemort will lose all of his power again and start sacrificing anyone! Including your own parents! Do you not realize that they'll be dying for evil?" Hermione protested. Draco heard a smack and then a thud. He ran outside the portrait and saw Hermione on the ground.

"Never insult my master!" Crabbe yelled. Draco had never thought that Crabbe would hit anyone, unless instructed to.

"What the heck have you done?!" Draco yelled, as he kneeled over an unconscious Hermione. 

"Just doing my job." Crabbe said, and when he turned around so that his sleeve fell back, Draco saw the dark mark adorning his arm. Draco shoved Crabbe against the wall with his arm.

"Stay away from her. If you EVER touch her again, I will beat the crap out of you." Draco threatened, his eyes cold and unforgiving. Crabbe looked between Draco and Hermione and grinned. 

"My master will hear of this." He said, and walked briskly away. Hermione's jaw unhinged.

"He's not really going to tell, is he?" She asked.

"I don't know." Draco replied, his face full of worry and foreboding. He held Hermione against his chest, and glared at the mark on her cheek that was beginning to bruise. "Are you sure you're ok?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," Hermione said. "Oh! I almost forgot! We need to get to the library right now! I found an inscription on the amulet you sent me! I think I know the language." Come on!" Hermione pulled, a very confused Draco down the hall, to the library. They went inside and Hermione immediately rushed over to the farthest table. They looked through book after book, but found nothing.

"There!" Hermione yelled, pointing a finger at the book that she had. Madame Pince gave her a stare that could kill. "It's Italian! I knew I'd seen that language somewhere before!" They translated as fast as they could. It took awhile since neither of them spoke Italian, but luckily, Hermione knew a translation spell. 

_"A forgotten art, _

_will bring love for two, _

_and with an enemy's sacrifice, _

_the evil one's reign will be through."_

Hermione and Draco looked between each other and back at the translation. 

"Do have any idea what that means?" Hermione asked.

"Not in the slightest." Draco replied. There was nothing they could do now, but wait, until the purpose of the amulet became clearer.

            The next morning, when Hermione went down to breakfast, no one talked to her, not even Harry or Ron. "What's wrong with you guys?" She said, nudging Ron. He got up and stormed out. "Harry" She asked tentatively. He turned to face her, and she could see anger and betrayal in his eyes. 

"How could you?" He asked.

"How could I what?" She replied

"You know. Play around with a Malfoy. Tell me the truth Hermione. Are you just fooling around with him or do you actually like him?" Harry pushed on.

"I…." She started. She didn't know. He'd been friendly towards her and stood up for her. "He's my friend."

"Traitor."  Harry spat at her, before leaving the table as well. Draco watched all this from a distance wondering what they were saying, while Blaise tried to carry on a conversation in front of him.

"Draco, honey. Will you be my boyfriend?" Blaise asked, in a sweet voice. That snapped Draco back to attention. 

"Sorry. I'm taken." Draco said. "At least my heart is." And he mimicked Harry and Ron, by walking out of the hall. Hermione saw Draco leave, and followed. Draco was in the hall with one arm braced against the wall, and tears flowing down his cheeks. Hermione wrapped her arms around Draco's waist from behind, causing him to jump. When he realized who it was, he wrapped his arms around her as well. They stood in each other's arms for a good while, just enjoying being near one another. "Everything will be fine. I promise." He said tightening his grip on her. His words were firm and sure, but his instinct told him differently.

            Almost in a flash, a bag was over Draco's head, and an unfriendly arm snaked around Hermione's waist.

            "Why, hello there mudblood. You're coming with us." A cold voice whispered in her ear. Hermione screamed as loud as she could, praying that someone would hear her. She kept yelling, until one of the masked men, put a hand over her mouth. She bit his hand, and tried yelling again, but fell unconscious as the man stupefied her. He picked her up, and carried her out of Hogwarts. They didn't revive her for a good six hours, and by that time, she was tired and soon fell asleep. 

Screams awoke her from her dream. Then, she realized that the screams were her own. Pain shot through her body, every nerve tensing as the torture snaked its way through her torso and up to her throat. She felt as if she were being strangled. She couldn't even scream anymore. All she could do was writhe claw the ground, as the pain drove so deep into her flesh, that she was positive it would kill her.  The pain stopped, when a silky voice said, "So Hogwarts's most clever witch couldn't find a way out of the cruciatus curse? Tsk tsk, Granger. How will you ever stay alive?" A sharp intake of air came from her throat as she was roughly kicked in the stomach. She rolled over on her side, but the person just kicked her again, this time in the back. 

"Who the hell are you?!" she yelled. 

"Why don't you ask Draco?" The voice said. A light appeared on the ground a little way away from her. A crumpled figure in black was sprawled out onto the ground. 

"Draco!" She screamed. She crawled over to him and put her head on his chest, to make sure that he was breathing. ""What'd you do to him?"

"We knocked him out. Maybe permanently." The person replied. Hermione lunged at him, anger swelling in her chest. She clamped her hands around his throat. Another pair of hands grabbed her and pulled her off.

"Don't touch him or else he'll make sure that you never touch anything again, make no mistake." A woman's voice said. She pulled her hood back, revealing a pug face and long dark hair.

"Pansy." Hermione spat. 

"Granger." Pansy said, almost calmly.

"Where are we, Pansy? Tell me the truth." Hermione said.

"Paradise, Granger. Well, for those of us who are loyal to the dark lord." Pansy said. The whole place lit up with candles. 

"Oh crap." Hermione muttered as she realized that they were in a clearing in the Forbidden Forest, with no less than a hundred Death Eaters surrounding them.  She covered Draco with her body, protecting him from anything that might happen. Simultaneously, all of the death eaters raised their wands.

Meanwhile, Harry and Ron, along with the rest of the Gryffindors, Ravenclaws, and Hufflepuffs, were trying to find Hermione. The Slytherins were busy trying to find Draco. They had notified the professors, which were now, out looking for them. "We should never have gotten mad at Hermione. The last thing I said to her was 'Traitor' and now she's missing. What if this is all our fault? What if she ran off with Draco and they got killed? Or HE killed her?" Harry rushed on.

"Harry. You're ranting. Just calm down. The professors will find her." Ron said.

Coincidentally enough, Dumbledore walked back inside the Great Hall. "I have an announcement to make. The professors and I, all feel that we should let you know why the dementors are here. They're searching for a very dangerous object that was left here, thousands of years ago." He said. Harry and Ron knew what Hermione would do. The library. But alas, they were obviously not Hermione. They ran up to her room, hoping to find something that would give them a clue as to where she was. She basically, tore her whole bedroom apart, before they found a note from Draco. 

            "Amulet?" Ron read aloud. Ron and Harry looked at each other and then sped off out of her room and down the stairs. They ran as fast as possible, their robes swishing behind them. "Professor Dumbledore!" Harry yelled.

            "Professor!" Ron echoed. Dumbledore stopped in his tracks, at the two Gryffindors burst into the Great Hall, yelling. They dashed over to Dumbledore and handed him the note. They both stood, hunched over and breathing rapidly, as Dumbledore read the note. Dumbledore dropped the note. 

"They found it." He muttered.

"Draco. Please Draco wake up." Hermione pleaded. "Draco, please." She was starting to panic. The Death eaters were closing in on them. Hermione got up and was going to curse some of them, when she realized that her wand was gone.

            "Looking for this?" Pansy said, twirling Hermione's wand in her fingers. Hermione felt her courage slipping. Without her wand she was nothing. Who was she? Just some small school girl. Without her magic and her wand, she was a nobody. Unless she was with Draco. With Draco she was loved. Of course, her parents loved her as well, but it was nice to know that someone else cared about her enough to die for her. She had to do the same for him. She was ready to die for him. She saw Pansy's mouth open, and begin to utter the killing curse. "Avada Kedavra!" She screamed. Hermione jumped onto Draco, shielding him from harm. The last thing she heard was Draco's faint heartbeat and a yell before she fainted from fear.

            White blinded her. Everything around her was white, except two patches of black and red. "Harry? Ron?" Hermione mumbled, still drowsy with exhaustion. Their faces came into focus and Hermione groaned. "What happened?" she asked. "Where's Draco?" Harry and Ron both looked towards the bed next to her, where Draco lay still unconscious. Madame Pomfrey bustled in, kicking Ron and Harry out. "Will he be ok?" Madame Pomfrey didn't answer for quite some time.

            "He's still knocked out. We don't know what spell they used on him." She replied. Madame Pomfrey administered her medicine to Hermione and left. Hermione got off her bed and walked over to Draco's. He looked like an angel sleeping there. His white-blonde hair falling over one eye and his lips slightly parted. Ignoring her thoughts of what Madame Pomfrey would say, she climbed onto his bed and lay down, resting her head on his chest. She fell asleep feeling his warmth enveloping her body, and his breath playing on her ear, like the first time they had come into contact that year. When she woke up, she could still feel his heartbeat pulsing through her body, as if it were her own. Then, she felt someone stroking her hair. She looked up and saw two bright gray eyes staring down at her. 

            "Draco!" she yelled. "You're awake!" She planted little kisses all over his face, finally coming to rest at his mouth. After they broke apart, they heard voices outside the room. 

            "We have to tell him." A voice said.

            "No. Give them some time." The other voice said. With that, the curtain was flung open, and Hermione tried to escape from the bed. "No. Stay there, Miss Granger." Snape said, walking inside. "You're going to need to be here with him." He continued, nodding towards Draco. "Draco. We have some bad news. Your father is dead." Draco eyes turned hard and cold.

            "And this is bad news?" Draco said, in a menacing voice. "No doubt he was part of the little charade where both Hermione AND I almost got killed."

            "You're right Draco. He was there." Snape paused.

            "I knew it. I knew that arse was there." Draco fumed.

            "You don't understand, Draco. Yes, your father was there. That's true…."

 "But he saved you life." 


	7. Surprises

**Disclaimer: All hail Ms. Rowling for her work, not me.**

**A/N: Hello once again. Again, I apologize for how long it takes me to update. Darn that homework. By the way, the HP and the ****CoS**** movie is SO much better than the first one..anyway..on with the story…**

"Hahaha. I never knew you had sense of humor, Professor Snape." Draco said, clearly believing that his ears had deceived him.

"This is no joke, Mr. Malfoy. Your father saved your life and Hermione's, at the price of his own." Snape said. Draco looked into Snape's eyes, looking for the lie that must be hiding there. He found none.

"This is impossible. My father would never do this.  I have the bruises to prove it." Draco replied.

"The point, Mr. Malfoy, is that he did save your life. And _we have you mother to prove it." Dumbledore interjected. Draco looked on in awe as his mother was brought into the room. Her mascara had run, creating many black rivers flowing down the hollows of her cheeks. She looked frail and empty, as if she hadn't comprehended what had happened._

"Mother." Draco said, jumping off the bed and pulling the fragile body into his arms. "It's not true, is it? Lucius didn't save our lives did he?" He said, gesturing to Hermione. The meek shivering creature that was Narcissa Malfoy, sat down on one of the beds.

"It is true, Draco. I didn't believe it myself. He realized that Voldemort was cheating him. They had made a deal, and you father received information that Voldemort's end of the deal was not to be fulfilled. You should have seen him. He didn't eat or sleep. He lost so much weight in so little time, that I thought he would slowly deteriorate into nothing. It's hard to understand. You have to put yourself in his position, Draco. His whole life had been a lie. Everything he'd known, and everything he'd believed in was no more." She had to stop because her voice was beginning to crack, from fighting back tears. Draco's eyes that had softened a bit at the sight of his mother, regained their cold stare.

"He was weak, mother. Don't think that he did anything for us. He probably wanted to kill himself, because he realized what worthless scum he really was. I went through the same thing. I am in love with Hermione, mother. It went against everything Lucius had taught me, to embrace that passion. And in the end, I came out on top. I'm stronger than him in mind and body." Draco said all this through clenched teeth, as if to keep from yelling or crying. Hermione couldn't tell which. She draped her arm around Draco's shoulder. This triggered the tears. They flowed freely down his pale skin, dripping off his chin, and falling onto the floor. He leaned into Hermione, resting his head on her shoulder. Hermione, also crying, placed her head on top of his his, letting her tears fall into his soft golden hair. Unknown to the two lovers, everyone had left them alone, to be in each other's company. They both cried themselves to sleep, still in each other's arms.

            The next morning, Hermione and Draco were allowed to leave the hospital wing. They went down for breakfast, holding hands. Hermione looked over at the frantically whispering Slytherin table, who had silenced when they noticed Draco. Pansy Parkinson approached him, her ugly nose scrunched up more than usual in disgust. "I heard about your father." she began, "I'm so sorry for your loss."

"Quiet, Pansy. That's total bullshit and you know it. You're only pretending to care about my father because you think that I'll take his position. Well, you can stop your façade, because I will never become a death-eater." Draco explained. Hermione pulled him over to the Gryffindor table.

"You can eat with us." She said. Many of the Gryffindors either looked shocked, appalled, or insulted.

"Keep your blood away from us, Malfoy." Seamus said. 

"He can eat with us." Hermione repeated, looking daggers at Seamus. 

Draco sat down with Hermione and they had a calm breakfast with only a couple of weird stares. Behind, Pansy was looking at Hermione with pure hatred in her eyes. Hermione could practically feel Pansy's eyes boring holes in her. She turned around, but Pansy was already gone.

"This can't be good." Hermione muttered to herself.

"Huh?" Draco questioned.

"Nothing. Nothing at all." Hermione answered, trying to reassure Draco.

Hermione was walking to the charms classroom after breakfast. She walked in and saw Harry and Ron, except they were frozen. And so was everyone else. Hermione screamed and turned to run, but a sharp pain entered her head and she saw no more.

She blinked a couple of times. Her eyes couldn't focus on anything in the darkness around her. Hermione wondered, in horror, if she was blind. She felt around and picked up something hard. She just clutched to it like a child with her doll, until she was able to see. She looked down and realized that what she was holding was a bone. She yelped and dropped the horrid object. It fell to the floor with a clatter, awakening the senses of Pansy, who slumbered across the room from her. "Just couldn't stay out of trouble could you, mudblood? Did you actually think that your suffering was over with that small escapade in the forest?" Pansy raised her wand and muttered "Wingardium Leviosa." Hermione knew that it was a weak spell and didn't think too much of it, until she realized what Pansy was trying to do. She spun Hermione onto her back and swished her wand to the left. Hermione went crashing into the wall and a sickening crack was heard throughout the room. Hermione glanced through her tears at her wrist. The bone was sticking out at an odd angle. Pansy wasn't stopping there. She made Hermione do a flip, and then she ran her into the opposite wall. This time her shoulder dislocated itself from her body. Hermione was biting her lip to keep from screaming. Screaming would just give Pansy the satisfaction she wanted. A bright flash of light illuminated Pansy's sneering face. In the door stood Voldemort. Hermione was too weak to do anything, but mutter a small, "Shit." Pansy swung her wand down and Hermione went plummeting to the floor. She turned over onto her back and looked into the cruelest eyes known to mankind. "Voldemort," she spat. Voldemort smirked at her.

"You dare to use my first name? Not many people have done that. Especially in my presence. Maneuverous!" He yelled. Hermione thought that the Cruciatus Curse was the worse pain she'd been through. She was wrong. Immediately, she felt the bones of her legs and arms being ripped from their sockets. Her eyes rolled back into her head from the pain, but the curse wouldn't allow her to faint. As soon as she'd felt it, the torture stopped. "A taste of what's ahead for Draco if he doesn't join us." Voldemort and Pansy both walked out of the room, locking the door behind them. Hermione didn't hear a word they had said. All that she was aware of was her own faint breathing, before she slipped out of consciousness. 

When Hermione awoke, she was fully healed. She figured that Voldemort had done it. He wanted her alive, so that Draco would try to rescue her. The thought of Draco going through the pain she had experienced made her sick to her stomach. She felt around with her hands, trying to figure out where she was. There was a cold stony floor, musty smell, and chains on the wall. "A dungeon." Hermione said. Unfortunately, she didn't know which dungeon. She couldn't tell whether she was inside Hogwarts or in some cave. How could she possibly let anyone know where she was? Suddenly, she heard voices. Tons of them. People laughing, cheering, and carrying on polite conversations. She pressed her ear up against the wall.

"There's no way she would skip class on purpose. Maybe she's in the library." A voice said. Hermione immediately recognized it.

"Ron! Ron, can you hear me?! Ron!" she yelled, but to no avail. At least she knew that she had to be somewhere within the walls of Hogwarts.

"Another torture device." Pansy said, walking into the dungeon. "You can hear everyone out there looking for you, but we've made it impossible for them to hear you in here. Drives some people insane, it does." Hermione tried to punch Pansy, but her hand hit some force field and rebounded back at her. She ducked her own flying fist and glared at Pansy. "You have a boundary around you. Try to harm anyone and you'll just end up hurting yourself. Have jolly good time." Pansy once again slammed the door, shutting Hermione out from the world. She dug around in her robes, hoping that they were too stupid to take her wand. She had obviously underestimated their intelligence. Her wand was nowhere to be found. Like a helpless puppy, she crawled into the farthest corner of the dungeon and cried. Her sobs rang out through the dungeon, reminding her how very alone she was. She lay down on the floor, not bothering to brush the bothersome wisps of hair out of her face. Her eyes closed, and she hugged herself with her arms, trying to block out the penetrating cold.

"Get out. Now." 

Hermione awoke with a startled gasp, retreating to a corner. "This isn't possible." She breathed. Lucius Malfoy was standing before her, offering his hand to the abused girl. "You're dead. I must be dreaming."

"I know you're confused, but all will be revealed tomorrow. Now, we have to leave." He said.

"Why should I trust you? You abused your own son." Hermione seemed to have struck a nerve. His hand went rigid, and for a moment, she could see the emotion in his eyes that Malfoys seemed so good at hiding.

"Either come with me or not. It's your choice." Lucius said, and he turned to leave.

"Wait. I'll go. Remember that I'm placing my trust in you. If you break that trust, there will be consequences, I promise you." She said, in a firm, but nonetheless, reluctant manner. He put his arm around her feeble body, helping her up. They walked out of the dungeon door and into the dark hall. Hermione had a feeling that Lucius had been there before, since it was pitch black and they had yet to trip over anything. After what seemed like hours of running in the dark, Hermione saw light up ahead. She and Lucius ran into the room before them, filled with silver and green furniture. "The Slytherin common room."

"Exactly. Go up those stairs to the left and walk to the very last door. That's Draco's room. You'll be safe there." He said. Hermione turned around to thank him, but he was gone. She looked back at where they had come from, but all that was there was a stone wall. After that, she didn't hesitate in running up to Draco's room. She needed that feeling of safety. She didn't bother trying to be quiet; she just raced up the stairs and into burst through Draco's door. All of the beds were empty except for one. Draco's bed. She walked over to where he lay, sleeping peacefully. The wind coming through his slightly open window, tousled her brown hair, making the image even more surreal than before. She stared at his form, just marveling at the way his breath traveled in and out of his slightly parted lips, vibrating the wisp of hair brushing against his flawless cheekbone. She was thankful, more than anything else, for that breath that was causing the rise and fall of his chest. She was thankful just to know that he was alive. Without waking him, she climbed into his bed and put her arms around him, allowing that signal of life to play upon her own face, worn with fatigue. For now, she was too exhausted to think about Lucius or anything else that had happened. "I love you, Draco," she whispered in his ear, before drifting off into a dreamless sleep.__

**A/N: Yeah…kinda fluffy..but o well. I'm in a hopeless romantic mood right now. Thanks SO much to ****poopookachoo, goth123, Rebecca, Draco Fluff, Katie Crickett, Draco's one and only, Draco'sGal13. I'm glad you liked my plot twist! ******


	8. Forgiveness is a Virtue

**Disclaimer: Don't give me credit for the characters or setting. All I did was write the story.**

**A/N: I know some of you were confused about Lucius's disappearance and return, but hopefully, this ****Ch.**** will explain things a bit. Also, this will be my last Chapter. I do not know whether I will write a sequel or not.**

            Draco eyes slowly fluttered open. Something was draped across him. He looked down and saw Hermione, with one small hand placed on his chest and her head balanced on his arm. A look of surprise briefly passed across his face, before being replaced with an expression of caring. "Hermione," he whispered, "Wake up." He shook his arm gently letting her head fall onto the pillow. He let out a small chuckle when her eyes snapped open at the light impact. She mumbled an obscenity and sat up, her tangled hair flopping over one eye. Draco brushed it away and gently placed a small kiss on her forehead. He stuck his head out of the drapes, checking to make sure that no one else was there. "It's safe. You better get back to your common room before Crabbe and Goyle come back."

"I'll explain this later." Hermione said, before cautiously slipping out of his bed and tip-toeing through the open door.

            She entered the common room and saw Harry and Ron carrying on a frantic discussion. They looked up when she entered. Hermione flinched, expecting a multitude of lectures and yells to come her way. Instead, she found herself wrapped in a sea of warmth with four arms tightened around her. "Hermione! We were so scared that something had happened!" Ron exclaimed.

"What about Draco? And me being a traitor?" She asked eyeing Harry warily.

            "That doesn't matter anymore. As long as you're safe, you can do anything with _Draco you want." Harry said, emphasizing his first name._

            "Well, Harry, are you sure you want to tell her that she can do _anything with Draco?" Ron asked, giving her a wicked smile._

            "Ron!" Hermione yelled, slapping him on the arm. The three friends laughed together for the first time since Hermione had gone missing. Then, the trio walked down to the Great Hall for breakfast, arms linked together.

After breakfast, Hermione told Ron and Harry that she had to talk to Draco. Pansy was nowhere to be seen. She walked past the Slytherin table, winking as a small signal to get Draco to follow. When she was out of the Great Hall, Draco got up and went to her. He walked for a little way, looking for a trace of her, when a hand yanked him into an empty classroom. "It's me Draco," came Hermione's voice from behind him, where she was placing a silencing charm on the room. "When I show you this, Draco, don't run away. Remember that I'm right next to you." Out of the shadows in a corner of the room, stepped Lucius Malfoy. Draco's mouth dropped open. A fire filled his eyes, as if an intense hatred was trying to break through. Hermione instinctively grabbed his hand and squeezed it reassuringly when she saw his expression. Draco stood stone still staring into his father's gray eyes.

"Draco, my son. "I want you to listen to my story without interruption. Listen and learn." Lucius demanded. Draco closed his mouth and clenched his jaw, trying his best not to strangle the man before him. "I did something wrong. I am sorry for the way I treated you. After becoming a death-eater it was my duty to become cold and unforgiving. I wanted to pass the same traditions onto you. When I realized that I was wrong about being one of Voldemort's followers, I remembered my mistake. I watched you, Draco. Watched you be cruel to everyone. Watched you be racist and prejudiced with pride clouding your mind. That was the worst that I ever had to observe. All of those times you were wreaking havoc, all I could think was that I had done this. I had made this destruction, not you. I beg your forgiveness. I don't expect you to accept my apology. After everything I have done, I don't even deserve to be in your presence." He cleared his throat several times to keep his voice from cracking. After his speech, he broke down completely. He threw himself at Draco's feet, a thing that Draco never thought he would see. A Malfoy bowing down to his own son.

"I do believe that there is more. I thought you were dead. What happened?" Draco asked, his voice still lacking any emotion.

Lucius slowly got up and looked Draco in the eyes again. "You remember how I had mastered the Imperius Curse? I placed it on a fellow death-eater. She drank the Polyjuice Potion that I had prepared. It transformed her so that she looked like me. You were right. I was in that circle of Death-eaters surrounding both of you. I knew Voldemort's plans and made my death-eater twin jump in front of you to her death. She was found and buried still looking like me." The hatred in Draco's eyes came back again. "I know what you're thinking, Draco. I let her die. I didn't sacrifice myself for you as you had thought. I know that you will never believe me when I say this, but it's true. I would have died for you Draco. I would have gone to hell and back again if only to let you breathe one last time. To see your love one last time," he said, glancing towards Hermione, "But I couldn't. It was impossible for me to die and have you think that I harbored the utmost loathing for you for the rest of your life. I couldn't let you live like that. Thinking that your father never once cared. When you were born, Draco, I tried to be emotionless. But I looked into your eyes, and saw that they were just like mine. Filled with a future malice and cruelty. That was the one time in your childhood, when I actually felt ashamed of who I had become. That is the story of why I am still alive, Draco. I am finished."

Draco hadn't moved at all, but Hermione did something that no one would have though possible. She ran up to Lucius and wrapped her arms around his neck. Then, Hermione gave him a quick peck on the cheek and backed up next to Draco again. Draco wanted to hate her for touching that filth, but he looked into her eyes and knew that he could never hate her. She just wanted Draco to forgive Lucius. She was trying to make everything alright again. But she would never understand. Nothing would ever be alright. She hadn't lived with that monster for seventeen years. Slowly, one tear after another escaped from Draco's eyes, but he didn't make a sound. "I forgive you, Lucius. Only because I'm not as cruel as you once were. Although I forgive you, I don't know if I will ever accept you as a father. My childhood was hell. While all of the other children were celebrating Christmas, our "family" was celebrating the murder of another muggle. You of all people should understand what hatred is." Draco declared.

"My son. You are better than I will ever be. I am eternally grateful for your forgiveness. As for not accepting me, I do not expect you to. And I promise you, that I will make Voldemort pay. I love you, Draco, my beautiful son." Lucius replied. Lucius pulled out an invisibility cloak and left through the door without a sound. When the door shut, Hermione flung herself on Draco, as he sobbed and slid to the floor. Seventeen years worth of tears splashed onto the floor as Draco's emotions came spilling out. Hermione caressed his face, sliding the back of her hand tenderly across his cheek and whispering words of comfort into his ear. After about fifteen minutes, "Draco, honey. If you don't stop crying we're going to drown in your tears," Hermione joked, in a desperate attempt to cheer him up. It made him smile, but deep down she knew that he wouldn't be perfectly happy again for a long time. She placed her hand over his heart and felt something hard. "Draco… she trailed off. He pulled it out and found the amulet. He had forgotten he even had it. "This is it! We're the two people; the enemy's sacrifice is the death-eater dying and the sacrifice of your father's loyalty to Voldemort! His reign will soon be through…"

            "He's going to make him pay." Draco finished, looking at Hermione. He was worried about his father. She could tell. The next few months were hell for Draco. Worrying about his father, studying for his N.E.W.T.'s, and wondering where Pansy, Crabbe, and Goyle had disappeared to. His wasn't worried about them. He was worried about what they were doing. Hermione's theory was that they had become death-eaters and weren't coming back. Draco supposed that could be true, but he wasn't sure.

One night in June, Dumbledore stood up in the middle of dinner in the Great Hall. "I have an announcement to make. My students, Voldemort's reign is over forever. He is dead and will never _ever return." Dumbledore declared. No one breathed. Each student, including the Slytherins, was silent. In one sudden moment of realization, the Great Hall boomed like a million bombs had been detonated. Even half of the Slytherin table was cheering. There was crying, yelling, screaming, and applauding coming from all corners of the hall. Hermione and Draco were, of course, unbelievably happy, but they didn't join in. They looked at each other, each wondering if Draco's father was alright. Eventually, they got into the spirit and joined in the celebration. More food appeared on the tables, even more delectable than before if that was even possible. After dinner, Hermione and Draco approached Dumbledore. "Professor Dumbledore," Hermione started, "Do you know who defeated Voldemort?"_

"It is unknown exactly who it was, Miss Granger. All we know is that an anonymous person led a group of people in a fight against Voldemort. Many died. We're in the process of figuring out who lived and who didn't. As you can see, this is a happy, and yet tragic ordeal in many ways, Miss Granger." Dumbledore answered.

"Yes, professor." She replied. She and Draco left the Great Hall both praying for the same person. Draco's father.

A week later, it was graduation time. They had all completed their N.E.W.T.'s, each student receiving high marks, but none more than Hermione, Draco, Harry, and Ron who had helped each other study. Both Hermione and Draco were chosen to speak at their graduation. Draco and Hermione were practicing their speeches in front of each other, next to the lake. During their break, they sat staring at the cool water, as Draco had done many months before when he found the amulet. "It helped the world in more ways than one." Draco said, fingering the amulet that Draco held. Draco, then Hermione, kissed the amulet and Draco threw as far as he could into the very heart of the lake. "There The Serpent Prophecy will rest, until destiny makes another appearance." Draco said, calling the prophetical amulet what Hermione had decided to name it only a week before. Hermione wrapped an arm around Draco, and they watched the spot where the amulet was thrown until the giant squid surfaced, disturbing the calm atmosphere.

That same night, every student was standing on risers in the Great Hall, preparing to go into the world. After Hermione's speech, a loud sob rang out, confirming that Hermione's parents had indeed come. Next, it was Draco's turn. He walked forward and began his speech, with his voice magically magnified.

"I can assure you, that this speech will not be long, but most certainly full of meaning. This year has been the most unusual for me from any other year here at Hogwarts. It was tragic, happy, and surprising all at once. I fell in love," He said glancing at Hermione who blushed, "I encountered many dangerous obstacles, and a ghost from my past showed up once again. No amount of studying would have prepared me for this year, and that is what growing up is all about. Knowing the difference between things that you should change and things that are impossible to alter. Both of these matters revealed themselves to me in this year, and I am thankful that I learned this lesson now and not after I had gone into the world. I know that these young witches and wizards, including myself, will do great things once they become independent and enter the world. I congratulate each and every one of you. Thank you." 

After stepping down, for a moment, no one applauded. They had never seen thankfulness or emotion from a Malfoy. Two pairs of hands broke the silence as he went back to take his place in the group of students. Hermione, who was grinning at him, and another person in the audience, were clapping. Draco peered into the sea of friends and family. His eyes locked with a pair identical to his own. "Father," Draco breathed. He surprised himself by calling Lucius that, but at that moment he didn't care. His father was watching him graduate, as it always should have been. His father was one of the many caring parents observing their children become adults. A grin broke across Draco's face and slowly the rest of the Great Hall followed suit, clapping loudly. 

When graduation ended, Draco came with Hermione to meet her parents. After measuring him up, they decided that he was deserving enough to be with their daughter. As Draco was talking to the Grangers, he looked over their heads into a pair of stormy gray eyes. "Excuse me for a moment," he told them. He walked up to where his father was standing with his mother. Neither Draco nor Lucius spoke for what seemed like an hour. Then, Draco made the first move. He stepped forward and flung his arms around his father, crying into his shoulder. Lucius returned the hug, also crying gratefully. "I love you so much, Draco, my son." Lucius told him, kissing the top of his son's head.

"I love you too, father."

**A/N: THE END! I really hope that you all enjoyed it. And thank you an unbelievable amount to Rebecca, Angel Of Music, Demon Wolf, Draco's one and only, $!@$ (PrancingElf14@yahoo.com), Luce (sound chic), Jen Drake, and ALL OF MY OTHER REVIEWERS! (Those were just the most recent reviewers.) I wouldn't have had the inspiration and motivation to write this story without you all!!!**


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